Does Marks Sattin reply to these comments?

Anonymous asked:

Does the Marks Sattin Job Doctor ever respond to these comments? Is there an alternative resource for assistance where this forum is limited to "blogs"? Thank you!

Marks Sattin replies:

The Marks Sattin Job Doctor does its best to respond to all enquiries posted or emailed. Obviously, our responses come from people within the company who are busy placing candidates like yourselves into new jobs. For this reason, responses may not be posted straight away, but we will do our best to get them on within a week.

You will see a number of questions and responses on this page. We hope that all of the questions have been answered to a reasonable level.

Our consultants look at the CVs of all candidates registering on our website and when we feel we can help, an interview with that candidate will be arranged. Those coming for interview will have ample opportunity to ask their consultant any questions they may have.

We hope that our candidates find this service useful and we will continue to provide it as long as we have questions to answer.

All the best in your job search!

Marks Sattin Job Doctor

Highly Skilled Migrant Programme

I am a potential candidate who will be seeking employment in the UK within the next 6-9 months. On a preliminary basis, would you advise me to acquire the HSMP before seeking employment or should I rely on my potential employer to acquire a work permit for me? Thank you.

The advice from our Human Resources Director would definitely be to acquire the HSMP before you come to the UK. This should make the process of finding work a great deal easier as you are a far more desirable candidate for UK employers.

A useful website for information on work permits for the uk is www.globalvisas.com

I hope this helps

Age and employment

Is it true that the big companies only take newly qualified or graduate trainees rather than people who have lots of experience and are mature - say 40 to 45 plus?

Large businesses such as FTSE 100 companies for example will have graduate schemes in place to provide skilled management to the company from grass roots level, so they will not have the need to recruit as many people at a senior one. They will employ people at a high level with experience when required, which is often the case.

If so, is it worth it to study at 40 or 45 to gain professional qualification?

Yes of course, accountancy is regulated by professional bodies and institutes and therefore requires a professional qualification. The majority of clients will not recruit anyone who is not qualified. A qualification will greatly improve your chances of finding a new job.

Overseas candidates

A number of you have asked questions relating to getting a job in the UK when you are coming from other countries. Below is some advice from a manager in our Professional Services division:


You're in a very typical dilemma that candidates with overseas experience often have.

The UK market is very fussy and candidates without UK experience will always struggle to find work, especially if you're not yet based in the UK.

My advice would be to be very flexible about what opportunities you consider and the salary you're commanding. This will give you a chance to get your foot in the door in a UK company.

For more information on overseas qualifications go to the ICAEW website

Good luck

Big 4 articles

Is doing articles for Big 4 at very low salary for 3 years better than working in full time employment for 3 years at good salary?

Big 4 experience is highly valued by employers and the articles guarantee a certain calibre of candidate, assuming you pass them of course. There are few other options within the accounting field that carry such prestige as a Big 4 ACA qualification.

It is worth noting that the Pakistan ACA qualification is not recognised by the UK (and many other countries) governing body, the ICAEW.

I hope this answers your question.

Market trend for investments

Here are some comments from Marks Sattin's Divisional Manager for Investment Management and Insurance:

The current market trend for investments is unquestionably away from listed equity and into liability driven investments (debt) and property, although most commentators suggest that this may prove short lived and the trend in property will continue to be out of UK investments and into the higher yield investments offered by Eastern Europe and India.

Private equity fundraising is still moving apace, but a rise in interest rates may affect the cost of leverage which may be fewer investments, and after a rough time for hedge funds the predicted market volatility of the next few quarters may provide a much needed shot in the arm.

Getting into any buy side firm as an analyst is tough. I would look into what you have to offer in terms of experience and head down the most obvious route from there. Many analytical skills are transferable, but the depth of the skills is key.

Good luck with your search.

What do you want to talk about?

The purpose of the Job Doctor is to open up an informal dialogue with you. We want to give you the chance to ask questions relating to your job search and hopefully help secure you an interview at a top London company.

We will sometimes open up for discussion on various topics and issues and allow you to exchange your views on accountancy and finance recruitment.

Let us know what you would like discussed and we can start the ball rolling. Ask us a question and if it's a good one, one of our expert consultants will post a response.

We hope you find this useful - let us know if you have any suggestions on how we can make it better for you.

A force to be reckoned with

As you might be aware, Marks Sattin has joined forces with global recruitment company Greythorn.

The group of companies operating under Greythorn will provide recruitment services to the IT, accountancy, finance and creative sectors across the world from London to Sydney.

For us this is a very exciting time and we look forward to all the new challenges we will face as a global company.

What do you think about this? Any questions about how it will affect you? Please give us your comments.